Chapter 61 To Say Goodbye


    "And why is that?" Melinda asked, when she finally broke out of her astonishment. Jonas had subtly


    emphasized their rtionship was nothing more than partnership a while ago.


    For him to suddenly act possessively, and over such a small matter, was confusing to his wife. ''What is


    he even trying to say?''


    Jonas leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you go there, you will only


    bring shame on the Gu family," he drawled out. Melinda wanted to punch his pompous face.


    "What are you talking about? What shame? Kent and I are friends, and he’s getting married. It’s only


    natural for me to celebrate it with him and offer my best wishes." Melinda paused and mimicked


    Jonas’s stance. "What’s going on in your mind, exactly?"


    Jonas snorted and rolled his eyes, and it only made his wife even more pissed at him. "If I say I don’t


    want you to go, then you can’t go." With that, he turned and walked away with a satisfied smirk on his


    face.


    In spite of her bafflement, Melinda felt outraged at the childish way her husband was acting, and the


    means with which he exercised his whims. ''Damn it, he isn’t called a tyrant for nothing!''


    If Jonas expressly forbade it, there was no way Melinda could work her way around his iron-d word.


    She paced back and forth in the room, nibbling on the tip of her thumb as she thought the matter over.


    After a while an idea came to her, and she hurried over to the main vi to speak with Nelson. If there


    was anyone who had greater authority over Jonas’s instructions, it was Nelson.


    As soon as she got there, Melinda recounted the whole situation to the old man. "Grandpa, Kent and I


    really are just friends. He’s helped me a lot through my toughest times. Of course I want to give him my


    best wishes on his special day."


    Nelson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don’t worry, child. I’ll discuss this with Jonas for


    you." It didn’t take much convincing to get their grandfather on her side, and it relieved Melinda greatly.


    Soon after that Jonas was called into Nelson’s study, and the door remained shut for a considerable


    amount of time. She had no idea what warranted such a lengthy conversation.


    All she knew was that Jonas came out with a thunderous expression on his face, and he was grumbling


    when he told her she could attend the wedding.


    Having achieved her goal, Melinda chose not to dwell on the matter any longer. The important thing


    was that she would be able to give Kent her blessing.


    The ceremony was set to be held in a five-star hotel within a week’s time. As far as she knew, Kent


    personally took care of the banquet design. He did make a few calls to Melinda, asking her for some


    input.


    She was a writer, after all, and her imagination was bound to be more profound. Besides, women


    usually knew what other women wanted.


    On the day of the wedding, Melinda wore a lc dress paired with nude pumps. She donned a white


    windbreaker coat over it, making the perfect picture of a well-dressed woman from a rich family.


    When she came down the stairs that afternoon to leave, she spotted Jonas lounging on the living room


    sofa, sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. He was wearing a ck coat over his suit.


    That was a curious detail, but her thoughts were sidetracked by how devastatingly handsome her


    husband was. He looked like a regal senior official.


    As soon as he saw her, Jonas put down the newspaper and rose. He looked utterly displeased as he


    looked Melinda up and down, although his eyes may have lingered a tad longer on her luscious mouth.


    "Let’s go," he finally said, a little roughly, the frown never leaving his face.


    "Wait, what?" Melinda was just about to walk past, but turned instead to look at her husband.


    "Are you attending the wedding or not?" Jonas asked impatiently, grabbing his car keys from one of the


    side tables. "What are you saying? Are youing with me?" Melinda was dumbfounded at this


    development.


    Jonas gave a loud sigh of frustration. "What’s wrong with that? Am I not allowed to apany my own


    wife?"


    "Of course that’s not what I meant, I mean... all right, forget it." Melinda could see that this exchange


    was starting to aggravate him, and she’d rather not provoke him any further lest she kept her from


    going at thest minute. "Just remember that you already agreed I could go. Don’t go breaking your


    word out of the blue."


    "Look, Grandpa was the one who asked me to go with you, okay?"


    Well, that would make sense, actually, since Jonas didn’t look a bit like he wanted to escort her in the


    first ce. Letting the matter slide, Melinda led the way out of the mansion, and they left for Kent’s


    wedding.


    The ceremony would begin at six in the evening. Since it was still a few hours away, people were


    milling about in the banquet hall, getting acquainted with each other over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.


    The venue was bright and lively, and the sweet, romantic scent of flowers wafted around the room.


    Melinda had her hand on Jonas’s arm when they entered.


    Charles and J, Kent’s parents, were stationed near the entrance, greeting the guests as they


    arrived.


    When they saw Melinda, J got a little flushed in the face, but they both greeted her with warm


    smiles. The man beside Melinda was rather handsome, but he had a cold, expressionless face.


    He looked like he was about to attend a funeral instead of a wedding. Catching herself, J brushed


    away her negative thoughts and asked kindly, "Hello, Melinda dear. And who might this be?"


    "Oh, this is my husband, Jonas Gu." Melinda turned to Jonas as she introduced him, but his expression


    did not change.


    She tugged at his sleeve and muttered under her breath, "This is meant to be a joyous celebration, fix


    your face!"


    "Oh, so this is your husband," J said at that moment, having noted the quiet tension between the


    couple. "I’ve heard that he is a sessful young man, and very dashing, too, I see. Melinda, dear,


    you’re very lucky."


    "Oh thank you, Kent’s bride looks very beautiful as well." Melinda gushed as her husband kept his


    stony silence. "Well, we won’t keep you. I’m sure you have plenty other guests you need to greet."


    She pulled the sulking man with her into the hall and looked for a table. A big screen was put up near


    the front, and it disyed a photo of the bride and groom.


    They looked really happy together, and looking at it gave way to a pang of envy in Melinda’s heart.


    Kent was off to one side, talking with some of his guests. When he spotted Melinda, he excused


    himself and came over to where she and Jonas sat.


    "Melinda, Mr. Gu," he greeted with a grin before plopping himself down next to her. He helped himself


    to a ss of water on the table.


    "Look at you, you’re very handsome today," Melinda chirped. The elders usually said that people were


    the most beautiful and the most handsome on their wedding day.


    She gave him her best wishes, and it was quickly followed by a light banter between Kent and herself


    as they joked about their shared past.


    Their friendly repartee was soon interrupted by a snort from Melinda’s other side. She and Kent shared


    a look and smiled at each other awkwardly.


    Melinda jabbed at Jonas’s side with her elbow. "If you don’t want to be here, you can just leave." She


    knew from the start that it was a mistake to bring Jonas here.


    Jonas kept silent after that, but the chill he carried with him remained. Kent and Melinda paid him no


    mind and carried on with their conversation. They were old friends after all. They should be able to talk


    freely without shame.


    Kent started to talk about his wife-to-be, and Melinda expressed her interest. Their exchange became


    even livelier.


    Jonas maintained his expression the entire time, and soon people who passed by their table were


    giving them strange looks.


    "Mr. Gu," Kent finally spoke up. "Is there perhaps something about this ceremony that you are


    dissatisfied with?" Kent also had a temper to be reckoned with, and Jonas had been consistently


    pulling at his tether.


    Jonas only gave him azy look and drawled out, "It’s so noisy." Melinda pinched his arm.


    Kent gave him a big, sarcastic smile. "I beg your pardon, Mr. Gu, but we ordinary people consider


    weddings as a joyous asion. I imagine it’s vastly different from your own wedding, which primarily


    involved signing contracts."


    There were a number of guests milling about nearby, drawn by the obviously charged interaction they


    were having in their table.


    At Kent’s words, people were turning and looking at them intently, obviously rather interested in the


    potential gossip.


    Kent and Jonas were ring at each other, the former with a sarcastic, challenging glint in his eyes, the


    latter with a cold, unrelenting energy that radiated throughout his body.


    A slow smile began to spread on Jonas’s lips, rming Melinda. She hurriedly spoke up to break the


    tension.


    "Kent, I think I see some of your old ssmates. Why don’t you go and greet them?"


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    If she let these two short-tempered men be, things would have escted quickly. It would have been


    an ugly encounter, and they would have attracted a lot of unwanted public attention.


    Understanding the desperate plea on her face, Kent yielded and rose to go to his friends. When he left,


    Melinda immediately turned to Jonas, fully prepared to let loose on him.


    "Did youe here only to start a fight and make a mess?"


    She only got a scoff in response; Jonas said nothing. Instead he reached for a ss of water and took


    his time sipping it. The air around them grew colder, and being alone with him gave Melinda the


    dreadful sense that she was definitely screwed.


    Thankfully, Kent came back after a short while. He headed straight to Melinda and popped a question.


    "Melinda, will you be my wife’s maid of honor?"


    Melinda’s jaw dropped in shock. Before she could say anything in reply, Jonas barked out a firm "No."


    Melinda and Kent both ignored him. "I’m already married, though, is that okay?" After all, there were


    still some people who were adamantly traditional when it came to wedding ceremonies—it was not


    auspicious to have a married woman as the maid of honor.


    Kent was quick to assure here. "That doesn’t matter at all. All you need to do is walk with her down the


    aisle and hand us the rings when it’s time."


    "Well, then it would be my honor," Melinda said with a smile. As the groom left to see to other


    preparations, Melinda felt the weight of her husband’s stare.


    He stirred as if about to say something, and she cut him off immediately, "Don’t even think about


    stirring up any more trouble, Jonas."


    Soon after that, other women from the bride’s entourage came to their table to take her to change. She


    was brought to the bride’s dressing room, where Kent’s soon to be wife sat in an enchanting wedding


    dress.


    Melinda approached and congratted her, to which she gave a reserved smile and a quiet thank you.


    She knew who this woman was, and what her role was in her groom’s life, so she chose her as one of


    her bridesmaids.


    The other women gave Melinda her dress, and led her to a small room. The dresses the entourage


    wore was a light shade of blue, varying only in the styles they were cut. Melinda’s was an off-shoulder


    ensemble, perfect for showing off her corbones and elegant neck.


    She arranged her hair into a ssy braid that went around head, fastening it near her nape with a


    pearl-crusted clip. Shebed out her fringes, which made a dainty little curtain that entuated the


    fine and delicate features of her face.


    When she was done fixing herself she emerged into themon room. Silence met her as the rest of


    the entourage gathered there and stared at her appearance with no small amount of awe.


    Just as Melinda was starting to feel awkward, the bride went up to her and took her hand. "My


    bridesmaid is so beautiful. I’m very fortunate."


    Looking at the bride’s kind smile, Melinda smiled in relief. "Thank you."


    At six o’clock, the guests were called into attention, and the ceremonymenced. Every so often,


    Melinda would peek at Jonas from where she stood, just to make sure he wasn’t stirring up any more


    trouble than he already had.


    The whole affair went on smoothly, and soon it was time for the couple to exchange rings and say their


    vows. Melinda executed her task and handed over the rings, and then retreated with the other


    bridesmaids to the back of the couple.


    "Is there anything the groom would like to say to his bride?" The officiating celebrant’s voice rang out.


    The microphone was then positioned towards Kent, and he began to speak, "Today, the woman I once


    loved hase to bestow us her best wishes, and even graced my bride and I the honor of bringing us


    our wedding rings, which are to be the token of our lifelong love."


    A heavy silence fell on the hall, and Melinda froze where she stood. ''What''s happening?'' She kept her


    head down, dreading what mighte next.


    Already a muffled buzz went around among the guests, which was to be expected, in light of the


    groom’s words.


    But then Kent continued, "I believe everyone deserves to have their first love, whom they had shared


    their growth and their hardships,e to send you off as you embark on your new life, with your new


    love.


    It’s a poetic way, I think, toe full circle. And I am grateful that I can say goodbye to her now, in a


    manner that allows me to embrace my new love at the same time."


    He paused and looked deep into his bride’s eyes. "I love you, and I will love you forever."


    Melinda finally looked up, in time to see Kent slip the ring on his bride’s finger. His bride didn’t look


    unsettled at all. If anything, there was an assured and joyous resolve in her expression.


    While her entourage tittered with the unexpected way things could have turned out, the bride had the


    calmest face. It somewhat calmed Melinda as well. In spite of their momentary difort, the two


    women were grateful for Kent’s honesty.


    The microphone was then handed over towards the bride. "My new husband seems to be honest to a


    fault," she joked, and a round of awkwardughter traveled the hall.


    "Thank you, my love. I shall take you up on your offer, and grow old with you, and relish in the lifetime


    love confession that you have offered me."


    Then, in front of all their friends and family, the couple kissed, marking the end of the ceremony. The


    crowd apuded, and the entourage went back to their seats.